Debbie drove her van so we were all comfortably seated and enjoyed the beautiful 3 hour drive up to Stover with a stop along the way for breakfast at McDonalds. There seemed to be fewer shops at The Gathering this time vs. my previous visit even though every square inch was filled with shops. Last time I think the spaces were smaller so there were more shops. There were still some very pretty things but for some reason I was a little disappointed.
I did absolutely love the Kiddie Car quilt by Joann Webb. I seriously considered buying the full pattern for $50 but I really don't need another huge project so I just bought the Blaze Red and Cool Blue Pedal Car blocks. She also had panels of motorcycles. I loved her stuff including the little elf holding spools of thread.
I also chatted with one of the Amish or Mennonite vendors (not sure which). He was a good salesman and had a nice selection of wide backing at okay prices but nothing really in the colors I was looking but he told us that back at his shop there were about 200 more bolts of wide backing and the shop, Countyview Fabric Shop was only 35 minutes away.
Since we finished up fairly quickly, we decided to check out Countryview Fabric Shop and then go to lunch. The shop was in the middle of farm country and the large building was on land that had a number of other buildings. The lighting was limited to natural light from the windows but they had a huge selection of backings ranging in price from about $9.99 to $16.99. Of course the one I wanted was $16.99 but it will be perfect for the Jinny Beyers Block of the Month from Craftsy that I'm working on. It is such a beautiful quilt it deserves a pretty back.
The shop also had some other really nice fabrics as well at good prices. Plus they also gave you a third yard of fabric for $4/yard if you bought 2 yards at regular price. I don't think they have a web site but they are located between Clinton and Sedalia in Windsor MO. 1291 SE 1300 Windsor MO to be exact. No phone number and they are closed on Thursday and Sunday.
We headed to lunch at Raymond's Cafe in Windsor which had a large selection and prompt service. I had a grilled cheese and "onion tangles" which were fine. Mom had some chili she thought was very good and everyone else seemed to like their food as well.
On the way home, we went through Boliver and decided to stop at Margie Pearl's . We've been there several times and they have a nice selection with nice prices. They also have a huge selection of flat folds. I love to check out the large selection of loose buttons. Plus they usually have some patterns I've never seen elsewhere. I almost bought some their ombre star field fabric which was on sale for 50% off but I DON'T NEED ANY MORE FABRIC. It is a good size shop and well lit so you should check it out.
Deb dropped my off at the house at about 5 p.m. and it was a very fun day. I didn't hold to my resolution not to buy anything but at least the fabric I bought has a definite purpose rather than just an addition to my stash.
